Officer Over The Limit

2014-07-19T00:40:30Z2014-07-19T00:40:30Z

The trial for former Wichita Falls Police Officer, Teddie Whitefield will begin on January 12th, 2015. Over three years ago, Whitefield was driving his K-9 police unit on Jacksboro Highway when he crashed into a Pontiac Grand Am.

According to a Department of Public Safety, Whitefield was traveling 80 miles per hour in a 45 mile per hour speed zone. Whitefield was also under the influence of two prescription pills including Xanax.

The crash ended up taking three lives. Yeni Lopez, 18, who was driving the Pontiac and Gloria Montoya, 13, was also in the vehicle and Lopez's unborn child. Lopez was eight months pregnant.

Whitefield and state prosecutors agreed to forgo a jury. Instead the trial verdict will be decided by Judge Bob Brotherton of the Wichita County 30th District Court.

Friday, state prosecutors and Whitefields defense agreed to set the trial for January based on the scheduling of witnesses and experts. First Assistant to the Wichita County District Attorney John Gillespie discussed the scheduling.

"That's what I wanted to put on the record. We have our witnesses, they are ready to go, our experts are ready to go. The court had given a number of dates to the defense and the defense experts were not able to be here for those dates. I just want it to be clear to everybody that the state is ready to go full speed ahead," said Gillespie.

Whitefield was involved in another accident prior to the deadly crash.